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Local mom: 'They’re just not taking any action to protect our kids' (DOCUMENTS)

Kyle Gobeil describes the injuries he sustained to his head during an incident with another student in the lunchroom at Shoal River Middle School in Crestview. Both Gobeil and Dylan Gristick, right, say they have been bullied by other students at the school.

DEVON RAVINE / Daily News

By KATIE TAMMEN / Daily News

Published: Friday, February 21, 2014 at 06:25 PM.

Kyle Gobeil and Dylan Gristick are best friends.

They spend every weekend together playing football, baseball or whatever sport they can.

Talking about girls makes them blush, but their eyes sparkle.

They seem like normal eighth-grade boys, but for years they have been taunted, tripped, hit and called names by their peers.

For Kyle it started in third grade when other students decided he was overweight. In sixth grade, Dylan was deemed too short by his classmates at Shoal River Middle School, where Kyle also attends.

“If anybody can find anything wrong with you … ” Dylan said with shrug as he let the sentence trail off. “It’s the stupidest thing.

“After they (bully you), you’re a target. More and more people bully you.”

In seventh grade, Kyle said he pushed another student who had been bullying him. This year, he’s been involved in three fights because of it.

The most recent, and serious, occurred Feb. 13 when another boy grabbed him by his jacket, pushed him and started hitting him.

“It was bad,” Kyle’s mother Tierra Smith said. “It was so bad.”

In that particular case, Okaloosa County Deputy Superintendent Kaye McKinley said school officials handled it exactly as they should have.

She cited privacy issues when she declined to discuss what punishment, if any, the other student received. However, she did confirm the district had policies to handle discipline in those types of situations.

“We take bullying, or even the hint of bullying, very seriously,” she said.

The final straw

Over the years, Kyle and Dylan didn’t tell their parents about the bullying. They didn’t tell their teachers. They didn’t tell each other.

Instead, Dylan stopped riding the school bus. He told his parents he’d rather walk.

The Feb. 13 incident began the way they always do. With words. Taunting. Bragging.

Kyle, Dylan and the other student shared a table at lunch. Kyle said they never moved because it’s where they’ve sat since the start of school.

The report filed by the school’s resource officer indicates Kyle made an “I don’t care what you’re saying about me gesture” to the other student before he was attacked. It does not note Kyle hitting the other student at any point.

“Gobeil immediately fell to the floor and (the other student) fell on top of him and continually hit him until the fight was broken up by students and faculty,” the report stated.

The sheriff’s deputy noted the left side of Kyle’s face was red and swollen. The other student was not hurt.

One week later, the Sheriff’s Office charged the other student with misdemeanor battery and referred him to teen court because it was his first offense, said Michele Nicholson, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office.

If he completes the program successfully, the charge will not remain on his record, Nicholson said.

If he doesn’t, he’ll go through the regular juvenile court process.

For Kyle’s mom, news about the decision to only send the other student to teen court coupled with his return to school the next day made for a difficult end to a difficult week.

“I feel like he didn’t get taught a lesson at all,” Smith said.

Bullying education

Okaloosa County students are educated about bullying in school, according to McKinley.

They discuss how to report it and how to react to it.

“Especially in middle school they do a lot of education on bullying,” McKinley said. “They’re not as mature as they think they are; they think they can handle situations.”

Students are instructed to tell the other students to stop, but to go no further than that. No negative retorts. No physical retaliation. The student clearly has to be the victim for it to be considered bullying.

School Board Policy 4-43 defines bullying, addresses how to report it and how schools should discipline students identified as bullies.

“All students and employees are entitled to a safe, secure and equitable environment free from harassment or bullying of kind,” the introduction to the policy states.

McKinley said students are fairly good at reporting incidents, but when they don’t parents or teachers usually come forward.

“The schools are constantly monitoring,” she said.

When incidents come to officials’ attention, they look at all aspects and check a database kept at each school for any previous reports about the students involved, McKinley said.

“If we don’t know anything about it, we can’t do anything about it,” she said.

Mothers’ worries

Last week’s fight was a breaking point for Smith and Dylan’s mother, Ashley Johnson.

“They’re just not taking any action to protect our kids,” Johnson said.

Dylan wasn’t the target in the most recent incident, but he’s not untouched by it.

A month before, the day after returning from Christmas break, Dylan tried to kill himself. He said he did it partly because of bullying.

“People just tripping me — they call you all sorts of names — really you just break,” Dylan said.

Johnson and Smith have asked for answers from the school and district officials, and pushed for change since they learned about the bullying. But so far they say they haven’t seen it.

“I’m really angry,” Smith said. “To me they neglected to do what they should have (done).”

Both mothers said they are considering moving.

“They’re just not taking any action to protect our kids,” Johnson said.

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They spend every weekend together playing football, baseball or whatever sport they can.

Talking about girls makes them blush, but their eyes sparkle.

They seem like normal eighth-grade boys, but for years they have been taunted, tripped, hit and called names by their peers.

For Kyle it started in third grade when other students decided he was overweight. In sixth grade, Dylan was deemed too short by his classmates at Shoal River Middle School, where Kyle also attends.

“If anybody can find anything wrong with you … ” Dylan said with shrug as he let the sentence trail off. “It’s the stupidest thing.

“After they (bully you), you’re a target. More and more people bully you.”

In seventh grade, Kyle said he pushed another student who had been bullying him. This year, he’s been involved in three fights because of it.

The most recent, and serious, occurred Feb. 13 when another boy grabbed him by his jacket, pushed him and started hitting him.

“It was bad,” Kyle’s mother Tierra Smith said. “It was so bad.”

In that particular case, Okaloosa County Deputy Superintendent Kaye McKinley said school officials handled it exactly as they should have.

She cited privacy issues when she declined to discuss what punishment, if any, the other student received. However, she did confirm the district had policies to handle discipline in those types of situations.

“We take bullying, or even the hint of bullying, very seriously,” she said.

The final straw

Over the years, Kyle and Dylan didn’t tell their parents about the bullying. They didn’t tell their teachers. They didn’t tell each other.

Instead, Dylan stopped riding the school bus. He told his parents he’d rather walk.

The Feb. 13 incident began the way they always do. With words. Taunting. Bragging.

Kyle, Dylan and the other student shared a table at lunch. Kyle said they never moved because it’s where they’ve sat since the start of school.

The report filed by the school’s resource officer indicates Kyle made an “I don’t care what you’re saying about me gesture” to the other student before he was attacked. It does not note Kyle hitting the other student at any point.

“Gobeil immediately fell to the floor and (the other student) fell on top of him and continually hit him until the fight was broken up by students and faculty,” the report stated.

The sheriff’s deputy noted the left side of Kyle’s face was red and swollen. The other student was not hurt.

One week later, the Sheriff’s Office charged the other student with misdemeanor battery and referred him to teen court because it was his first offense, said Michele Nicholson, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office.

If he completes the program successfully, the charge will not remain on his record, Nicholson said.

If he doesn’t, he’ll go through the regular juvenile court process.

For Kyle’s mom, news about the decision to only send the other student to teen court coupled with his return to school the next day made for a difficult end to a difficult week.

“I feel like he didn’t get taught a lesson at all,” Smith said.

Bullying education

Okaloosa County students are educated about bullying in school, according to McKinley.

They discuss how to report it and how to react to it.

“Especially in middle school they do a lot of education on bullying,” McKinley said. “They’re not as mature as they think they are; they think they can handle situations.”

Students are instructed to tell the other students to stop, but to go no further than that. No negative retorts. No physical retaliation. The student clearly has to be the victim for it to be considered bullying.

School Board Policy 4-43 defines bullying, addresses how to report it and how schools should discipline students identified as bullies.

“All students and employees are entitled to a safe, secure and equitable environment free from harassment or bullying of kind,” the introduction to the policy states.

McKinley said students are fairly good at reporting incidents, but when they don’t parents or teachers usually come forward.

“The schools are constantly monitoring,” she said.

When incidents come to officials’ attention, they look at all aspects and check a database kept at each school for any previous reports about the students involved, McKinley said.

“If we don’t know anything about it, we can’t do anything about it,” she said.

Mothers’ worries

Last week’s fight was a breaking point for Smith and Dylan’s mother, Ashley Johnson.

“They’re just not taking any action to protect our kids,” Johnson said.

Dylan wasn’t the target in the most recent incident, but he’s not untouched by it.

A month before, the day after returning from Christmas break, Dylan tried to kill himself. He said he did it partly because of bullying.

“People just tripping me — they call you all sorts of names — really you just break,” Dylan said.

Johnson and Smith have asked for answers from the school and district officials, and pushed for change since they learned about the bullying. But so far they say they haven’t seen it.

“I’m really angry,” Smith said. “To me they neglected to do what they should have (done).”

Both mothers said they are considering moving.

“They’re just not taking any action to protect our kids,” Johnson said.